Video: Allardyce and Wenger in comical disagreement

Arsene Wenger and Sam Allardyce renewed their long.standing rivalry as Arsenal and Sunderland played out a close-fought 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Both teams still have plenty to play for this season, with the Gunners looking to secure a top four spot while the Black Cats are battling for Premier League survival at the bottom end of the table.

The draw was probably a fair result when considering the chances created at either end, yet there was one big talking point during the game as Sunderland felt they should have had a penalty.

Per Mertesacker was the intended guilty party, turning his back to block a shot which ultimately struck his arm and prevented what looked like a being a potential opener for the hosts.

Allardyce and Wenger were expectedly quizzed on the matter after the match, and as shown by the ePlayer video, certainly not for the first time in their careers the duo comically gave completely different responses.

“I wouldn’t have given any of them because the players were very close to the guy who took the shot, there was no intention to play the ball. So overall I would say the referee did well on that,” Wenger said.

“The referee should have given us a penalty, blatantly obvious for me. [Mertesacker] turns his back, sticks his arm out. When you’re trying to block a shot you’re not supposed to turn your back. Not looking at the ball, stuck his arm out and blocks a certain goal. So for me, definitely, 100% a penalty,” Allardyce responded.

The decision not to award the penalty could prove huge come the end of the season, what with Arsenal potentially gaining an extra point while Sunderland may feel it’s a case of two points dropped.

The Wearside club are in a battle to stay up with the likes of Norwich City and Newcastle United in close company, and they will need all the decisions they can get between now and the end of the season.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 27 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.